Unexpected Valentine
by sangreal7
Summary: When Valentine's Day is interrupted by a case for both Emily Prentiss and David Rossi, the consequences may redefine the way they see each other.  Written for the Chit Chat on Author's Corner forum Challenge - Round 8 - Valentine's Day Gift Fic.


**A/N: ****Written for the Chit Chat on Author's Corner - Fanfic Challenge 2011 - Round 8 – Valentine's Day Gift Fic.**

**Pairing: Rossi/Prentiss**

**Song: I Will Learn To Love Again – Kaci**

**Prompts: A date ending early on Valentine's Day (bonus points if both Rossi and Prentiss have dates ending early), Roses, a Lord of the Rings Marathon**

**This is a gift fic for rjwritergirl. I really hope you enjoy it.**

**I am so sorry that this is late. It's been completed for more than a week now, but FF was not allowing me to post at all. I only got the problem resolved today.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Criminal Minds. I'm just playing a little **

* * *

Everything was going wonderfully with his Valentine's date – right up until the sommelier poured the wine. Then, just as David Rossi was swirling the contents of his glass appreciatively under his nose, his phone began to ring. It's quiet but insistent tone indicated a call from Hotch, much like the man himself, come to think of it.

As he answered, Rossi watched the woman seated opposite him. This was his third date with the redhead financial analyst … and from the expression on her face, probably his last. The previous two had also ended when he got called in to work and had to leave the date early. Third time was definitely not the charm in this situation.

When he hung up the phone and began to make his apologies, waving the waiter over to request the bill at the same time, Gillian Archer raised a hand to forestall the apology. Saying nothing, she simply stood up, collected her purse and walked away. Sighing in defeat, Rossi paid the bill and left the restaurant, making his way to the BAU, his mind already on the new case.

* * *

It was undoubtedly the best Valentine's Day she had had in many years. Everything was going wonderfully. Emily gazed happily at the gorgeous man seated opposite her, enjoying his steak. Chris Ellis had gone all out for Valentine's Day. He'd presented her with a huge bouquet of mixed roses when he'd picked her up, then took her to Marcel's, where both the food and wine were superb.

They'd been dating for almost eight months and had already shared a Christmas together. Now they were sharing their first Valentine's Day. She'd worn a short, silky red dress and killer black heels, and had been pleased at the look on Chris' face when he'd seen her.

Emily sipped her wine as she watched Chris some more. He was a pediatrician with a busy practice, so the fact that he made allowances for her unpredictable schedule meant a lot to her. It had been causing a bit of friction between them lately, but the effort Chris had made for Valentine's made her hope that he was prepared to accept the fact that she was often out of town more than she was at home.

Just as she was daydreaming a little about what the rest of the night might bring about, the cozy ambiance was disrupted by the insistent buzz of her phone. Emily jumped in surprise, not having expected the interruption. Reluctantly, she drew the offending item out of her purse, glancing at Chris with an apology in her eyes as she spoke to Hotch and told him she'd be there in under an hour. While she spoke, Chris had stilled all movement opposite her. His knife and fork lay abandoned on his plate and he stared blankly at her. Once she had hung up, Emily reached over and grabbed Chris' hand, apologizing and promising that she would make it up to him. All he did was pull his hand away and tell her he'd drive her home to change.

* * *

Four days later, on Friday afternoon, the team relaxed on the BAU jet as they returned from California where they had successfully recovered a missing baby. Emily sat opposite Rossi and they had been talking about what having this job cost them, but also about the rewards. At a lull in the conversation, she turned to stare out of the window, remembering the look on the young mother's face when her little boy had been returned to her arms. Emily knew she would take a million difficult days, just to have the moments like those. She was always very sensitive to cases involving children and this one resonated even more with her.

She suddenly wondered what Chris thought about having children. As though thinking about him had occasioned it, her phone buzzed with the tone indicating she had a message from Chris. With a private little smile, Emily eagerly drew the phone out of her pocket and accessed the message.

David Rossi sat opposite Emily, watching her, but trying not to stare. It was difficult though, because under normal circumstances he thought her a very beautiful woman, but when she smiled – then she caught him in a spell he couldn't break. Because he was watching her, he saw when the expression on her face slowly changed, and all the joy drained out of her eyes, her smile fading into the saddest look he had ever seen. He would not have said anything, except she turned to the window again, the phone abandoned in her lap, and a single tear tracked its way down her pale cheek.

"Prentiss?" Rossi leaned forward, speaking softly so as not to alert anyone else to her situation. "Is everything all right?"

Emily looked up at him and blinked, another tear trickling down her cheek. Rossi had to restrain himself from reaching up and wiping it away. Instead, he raised one eyebrow curiously at her, and turned his body a little so that he would block her from a casual glance.

"Emily?" He murmured this time. "What is it?"

Silently, she handed the phone to him, and Rossi read the name at the top first – Chris – and then the message:

_Em, I thought I could handle you being emotionally unavailable, but now you're always physically unavailable as well. I want someone who can always be there when I need her. I realize you can't be that person, so this needs to end._

Handing the phone back to her, Rossi touched Emily's hand gently.

"I'm sorry, Emily."

When she didn't answer, although she did meet his gaze briefly before turning away again, Rossi continued, "Maybe you should just talk to him when we get back. He's probably already realizing he's made a mistake."

"It won't do any good," Emily murmured sadly, "I guess I knew this was coming, really."

Rossi watched as she visibly pulled herself together, brushing the last traces of tears from her eyes, before she continued. "Chris isn't very good at compromise. I guess I wanted the relationship to work so badly, I let myself believe he accepted my work and my lifestyle. If this is way he really thinks, then I'm not going to force him."

Again she paused for a moment, and then added ruefully, "This is why Valentine's Day sucks. Something stupid always happens."

Rossi sighed, "I know just what you mean."

When Emily looked at him curiously, he continued, "This case interrupted my third date with a very nice woman on Valentine's Day. The first two went the same way. I'm pretty sure that was also the last date."

Surprisingly, Emily let out a little unexpected laugh. Rossi raised his eyebrows in question.

"Well, we're a pair, aren't we?" She explained, still smiling, pleased when Rossi grinned back at her in understanding.

"I have to say … you're taking this pretty well." He commented. "Or is it just because you're in a public setting?"

"Umm … yes and no." Emily grinned again when Rossi graced her with the raised eyebrow once more. "I'd probably have handled it with a little less … aplomb … if I were alone, but I've found the easiest way to deal with a relationship ending is to face it head on, and remind myself it won't always be this way. I have to choose to believe that."

If it were anyone else, Rossi might have laughed at the earnestness of that statement, but this was Emily Prentiss, the self-proclaimed queen of compartmentalization. He didn't doubt for a moment that she had already put the failed relationship with Chris neatly away in its little box, to be further dealt with when the time was right.

Rossi was distracted from his thoughts by Emily pulling out an IPod from her bag. When she put the headphones over her ears and fiddled with the controls, he thought the conversation was over, and was surprised to find that he was more than a little disappointed.

Then, Emily slipped the headphones off her head and offered them to Rossi. Surprised, he took them, and then held them limply in one hand, looking confused.

Emily laughed softly. "Put them on Dave … I want you to hear something."

Following her instructions, he watched as she pressed the play button on the little device, and soon, soft strains of music began. It was a female singer whom he was pretty sure he had never heard before, but her voice was clear and the lyrics easy to understand.

_Drowning in tears, that won't be me  
I will soon be free from the chains of all this pain inside  
And though I cry, it won't be long _

_Till I regain the strength to know I can go on  
I will find my way through the heart break_

_I will not give up on love; I believe_

_I will learn to love again. I will learn to trust  
Once this heart can start to mend,  
I will learn to, learn to love again_

Not waiting for him to hear the entire song, Emily stopped the music, and Rossi handed the headphones back to her.

"There's more to it, of course, but that's pretty much how I feel." Emily stated softly, not quite sure why she was revealing so much of herself to her teammate, but not uncomfortable with it either.

There had always been a little part of Emily that was attracted to David Rossi, even before she'd met him – when he was only the picture on the jacket of his books. Working together with him, especially considering some of the experiences they had shared, had only strengthened the attraction. However, she had always believed it was a feeling not returned, and she had welcomed the gift of his friendship when it was offered. She had refused to damage that gift by regretting it never developed into anything more.

As she watched him nod in understanding after listening to the snippet of the Kaci Battaglia song she had played for him, Emily admitted to herself that the attraction had never gone away. Knowing it was the emotional fallout from what Chris had done, she did not give in to the little whispers trying to slip out of one of her mental compartments that tried to tell her the look Rossi was giving her now contained more than just friendship. Besides, even if that were true, she would not be looking to jump right into another relationship in any event.

_Spending time with a good friend would be good for you, though_. The traitorous little whispers persisted.

Rossi had been watching a myriad of emotions flit across her face, and suddenly spoke up. "Tell you what … when we get home, come over and I'll make you dinner. We'll watch some totally non-romantic movies … make an evening of it … and we'll both feel better about our horrible Valentine's Day dates. What do you say?"

The idea was wonderfully appealing. An evening in David Rossi's pleasant, undemanding company sounded like just what she needed … the dinner was a bonus. The man wasn't Italian for nothing … he could certainly cook amazing food.

"That's a great idea, Dave. I'd love to." Emily grinned at him, looking happier than she had for the entire afternoon so far.

Rossi was pleased. He wanted to do something for her … but it was for himself also, and not in the way Emily thought. What he really wanted was to just put the idea in her head that something was possible for her other than a failed relationship with someone unsuitable who didn't understand why she did the job she did. He wouldn't push. It wasn't his style anyway, at least not anymore. He would, however, put the idea out there and let her make of it what she would. If it worked, it would be great for them both. If not, they would retain their friendship and he would make that enough.

Emily suddenly spoke up, breaking Rossi out of his reverie. "What movie did you have in mind?"

"Well, I figured we have the whole night ahead of us," Rossi answered, "and I remember hearing you tell our resident tech kitten that you'd never seen the extended versions of _The Lord of the Rings_."

He grinned at the look of shock on Emily's face. "I just so happen to have the DVDs, so I thought a marathon might be a good idea."

"Why, David Rossi! I never would have pegged you for a closet nerd!" Emily's delighted little laugh washed over them both, making Rossi's grin widen marginally.

"I simply happen to enjoy great movies based on a great book." He demurred. "How does that make me a nerd?"

Emily only smirked at his raised eyebrow, but the smirk faded a little when another thought occurred to her.

"PG and I talked about those movies at the New Year's office gathering." Emily said. "You remembered that?"

"Emily," Rossi leaned close and spoke softly, "I think I remember everything I've ever heard you say."

And just like that, Emily Prentiss knew that she would have to reassess the mental compartment that held her thoughts regarding David Rossi.

It was an idea that filled her with a delicious sense of anticipation.

FIN


End file.
